


Sunshine Girl, Lighthouse Boy

by Bolontiku



Category: Aquaman (2018), DCU
Genre: Aquaman (2018) Spoilers, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 12:53:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20724512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bolontiku/pseuds/Bolontiku
Summary: No one wants to be friends with him, at least that's what Arthur is certain of till a certain sunshine girl walks into his life.Mistakes happen and after years apart he finds himself facing the Sunni girl yet again.





	Sunshine Girl, Lighthouse Boy

**Author's Note:**

> another WIP I have no idea what I am doing.... ENJOY!!!

*********

“H-hi!" She breathes out, he grins, there's no mistaking that warm smile or those remarkable eyes. Those warm honey colored eyes that often changed colors, shifting from warm brown to honeyed amber, sometimes bright gold. Sunni knew even after all these years they sometimes looked blue-green.

Unbelievable. When was the last time she had seen him? Here she hadn’t been back in town but for ten hours and here he is.

It was junior year, both of them in junior year of high school and Arthur Curry was in that awkward phase, but really when it came to Arthur he was always a little awkward and a little funny.

Arthur Curry stood out for many reasons.

Sunni had found out so much about the boy as they grew up together over the years.

**

_ The crash of the waves off the rocky shoreline was getting louder, but then he wasn’t afraid of it. She knew where he was headed, her poppa had told her plenty of times to stay away, but she had heard from one of his coworkers that it was easier to get forgiveness than permission and since it made so much sense to her young mind this was something she would live and die by. _

_ “Why are you always following me?!” Arthur huffed trying to move quicker, trying to leave her behind. _

_ “Why not?” _

_ “No one else wants to be my friend.” _

_ “Who said we’re friends?” _

_ Arthur turned and glared at the small girl, coming from a ten year old boy, a boy the same age as her, it wasn’t really very intimidating. Not much was intimidating to at that age though. Sunni Ridley jumped off the very top of the monkey bars without the slightest hesitation after all. “Go away, you’re weird.” _

_ She watched him stalk away, the water washing away the gritty sand from the top of her tiny feet, she licked her lips tasting the salt on the air. “You’re the one that stood in front of an aquarium and had the fish all gathered behind ya and _ ** _I’m_ ** _ the weird one…” she muttered to herself. Still, it was a reason that she followed him around, she wanted to know more about the fish boy, the boy without a momma (like her), the boy that lived in a lighthouse. She ground her teeth and squared her small shoulders, stomping right after him. Poppa called her stubborn, Sunni called it determination. _

_ She ran right after him into the entrance of a sea cave, the water still lapping at her feet, she let out a long drawn out sigh, pushing back tangled dark locks. “Y’know if your rude it will push people away.” _

_ “That’s not true,” he retorted. _

_ She frowned picking her way carefully around the rocks that littered the floor, “how do you figure that?!” _

_ “You’re still here,” he said, letting out a breath and stooping from his position above a large rock and holding his hand out to her. _

_ Ten year old Sunni scoffed and rolled her eyes, dropping her shoes beside him and clambering up, struggling to do so, but she wasn’t about to accept his help when he was being rude, even if he was pretending to be helpful. “Y’know my dad is a scientist, he explores the sea, ocean- the life in the water?” _

_ “Your dad looks for sunken treasure and makes money off it,” Arthur scoffed sitting down and watching as she struggled. Parking her butt next to him she glared at him with all her anger, that is till a light caught her eye. Arthur smirked, he knew she’d like it. He hadn’t known how much he would like it when her eyes widened at the sight. _

_ “Ohhhhhh!” She gasped reaching out and grabbing his arm brimming with excitement. In the dark far end of the cave a bright green light lit the place up, casting shadows and reflecting off the walls of the cave. “What is it?” _

_ Arthur stared at her, “can’t you see?” he asked watching as she giggled, large brown eyes screwing shut as she did so with joy, “its beautiful…” _

**

“Been awhile,” he leaned against the bar, rather he missed the bar and stumbled slightly till he caught himself on it, continuing to smile at her. 

She laughed, dropping her head forwards and tilting it to look at him. “It has.”

“Buy you a drink?”

Her tongue peeked out, swiping across her lips as she smiled at him shrugging slender shoulders, “sure thing Curry.” He smiled looking away, he was no longer awkward, still tall yet no longer gangly. He had filled out, more than filled out she caught herself staring a little too hard and forced her gaze back to the bottle in her hands.

**

_ “I can’t believe your here with him!” _

_ “What does that mean?!” she asked pulling her arm from his grip. _

_ “Sunni, you know he’s just looking to seal the deal, he doesn’t really care about you!” _

_ “What?!” she screamed angrily at him. “Arthur! How can you say that?!” _

_ “He doesn’t care!!” how was he supposed to say that he overheard him, cheered on by his friends that he was going to take her in the back of his car at prom without hurting her? “Sunni,” he caught her arm again, lips pursed and gaze firm, “I’m taking you home. You shouldn’t be here.” _

_ “I shouldn’t be here?! I shouldn’t be at Prom?! God Arthur, ever since I started dating Brad you’ve been insufferable. I am allowed to have other friends, I can date whoever I wanna date. Just cause I’m invisible to you doesn’t mean others can’t see me!” _

_ “What does that mean?!” he shot back angrily. Honestly, after years of friendship he still didn’t understand her. How could she be invisible? She was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. Even if she was stubborn and didn’t listen to what anyone ever said. _

_ She let out an angry shout jerking away from him, he didn’t understand the emotion that swam in her eyes, “go away Arthur.” _

_ “Sunni…” _

_ She shook her head, “I don’t wanna hear it!” _

_ “He just wants to fuck you! He’s already planning on telling his friends when it happens, told them he’s gonna nail you in the back seat of his car!” he regretted saying it the moment the words came out, the moment he saw the hurt in her brown eyes. _

_ “LIAR!! DAMMIT ARTHUR J-JUST GET OUT OF MY LIFE!!” _

_ The air stilled, the words hanging between the two of you. _

_ Arthur squared his shoulders, “fine.” _

**

Arthur motioned for a round and the bartender nodded, coming over and dropping a few in front of them and returning to the other patrons just as quickly.

She wore her long hair in a single pony, he remembered what that felt like. Remembered running his fingers through it when she asked him to, he would tug at her raven locks making her suck her teeth at him and pout. His eyes drifted to her lips for a moment, he remembered that pout. “Still board?” he asked clearing his throat and lifting the bottle to his lips.

“Does the sun still shine?!”

He dropped his head back laughing. 

Sunni could remember a time when getting him to smile was so damned difficult. It warmed her heart to see him smile so readily.

A couple turned into a couple rounds. It was easy to talk to him, laughing, falling back into rhythm. The two of them spilled out of the bar and laughter rang out into the night air. She had drank too much, he had drunk even more. His thick arm wrapped around her waist like it belonged there, his larger frame kept her warm from the cold sea air, she pulled away, stumbling a little ahead of him giggle escaping as she turned and watched him. Sunni walked backwards, hands behind her, “do you remember-?”

“The last time I saw you…?” he asked staring at her as he followed her down towards the waters edge.

“Prom?” she offered.

“You went our junior year with that asshole Brad.” He wasn’t gonna tell her that night wasn’t the last time he had seen her. 

That he would keep to himself, that he kept close to his heart.

The crash of water was a welcome sound as Arthur said his name, staring at her intently as he followed her along the edge of the water. She stopped, reaching out and catching his shoulder in hand to keep herself steady. Looking down as she pulled her shoes off, ignoring the muscle that shifted under her hand, ignoring the way he openly stared at her. 

She glanced up at him, laughing slightly, “of course you remembered his name.”

“Brad Crawford,” he clarified.

She laughed, pulling away and skipping ahead, “you used to call him Crawdad… when I first started dating him.”

“I see you didn’t get married to him.”

She turned and narrowed her eyes at him, raising an accusatory finger at him, “you sure you drink more than me?” 

“You’re holding up just fine,” he shot back, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Cold air works wonders.” It did, nothing to do with the sobering reason she hadn’t seen him in six to eight years. The reason they had both avoided talking about till now.

“What have you been doing all these years?” he asked, voice low and full of curiosity.

“Treasure huntin’ with my pops of course!” she exclaimed sarcastically, dropping to the sandy ground, tossing her shoes over her shoulder without looking, it didn’t matter that she was half in the water. The water was home as far as she was concerned.

He stood for a moment longer, as soon as he sat beside her, she took the liberty of dropping her head to his shoulder. He tensed, slowly relaxing as her fingers played with his. “I missed you.”

The silence was filled with the water crashing gently against the shore. “I missed you too.” She admitted, uncertain about what to say next, that she was sorry for yelling at him? Sorry she had stayed away so long? Sorry she never called?

Arthur frowned, how did he apologize? For never telling her why he hated the guy. Should he tell her he had broken the guys nose the next day? After she had left? He had known she was leaving, it was why she had wanted to go to Prom. He remembered, she had stared at him back then, waiting, waiting for him to ask her. She had specifically brought up wanting to go to Prom. Sunni did that, when she wanted something she would talk incessantly about it, acting as if it wasn’t a big deal when in actuality it was. 

He hadn’t said anything. 

Brad asked her out a few days later. 

The two of them had started to drift. 

He had hoped, hoped that there would be a light to save them. To bring them back to safety. Sunni was the only one that understood him, tht tried to understand him. He hadn’t wanted to lose that.

“C’mere,” he said standing and pulling her up, breaking out of the past. Now, now was the time to grasp the light. He wouldn’t lose her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, even if she used all her weight to resist, it wouldn’t stop him from pulling her up and it didn’t. 

He grinned lifting her easily and pulling her close. “I owe you,” his hand slid along her waist, to her lower back, a small oh leaving her as he pulled her tight against his hard body, his other hand catching hers. “Shoulder,” he directed and she nodded, placing her hand in it. He stepped back, leading her into a slow dance, the cold water splashing around their ankles. “Eyes up here Sunshine.”

Sunni’s head jerked up and she laughed, “no one’s called me that… in a long time.”

“Better not, thats my name for you, no one else is allowed to use it,” he grinned cheekily at her.

“Shut the fuck up,” she cracked pushing into him attempting to knock him just a step off beat. She saw the flash of mischief in his eyes and squealed, struggling in his arms, “ARTHUR, DON’T. YOU. DARE!!”

“Not my fault!” he cried lifting her small frame onto his broad shoulder with one arm wrapped around the back of her knees securely and started trudging deeper into the dark waters.

“ARTHUUUUR!!”she beat her fists against his broad back, “PUT. ME. DOWN. RIGHT. NOW!”

“Okay.”

The water swallowed her easily, greedily dragging her down and the cold making her kick her feet till she found the floor and jerked up, floundering as his laughter boomed into the night air around the both of them. She shot him with water, both hands full and he jerked away, glaring at her.

“Don’t you start!” he growled.

“ME?!” she cried incredulously. “Arthur- no. You already practically drowned me!!”

He smiled, predatorily, crouching low and cupping water into his hands, “three…”

“No, Arthur- NO!” yet Sunni was already struggling against the water to get around him.

“Two…”

“It’s not fair! You’re not playing fair!!”

“One!” she screamed as cold water struck her, soon both of them were splashing water at each other. Both laughing uncontrollably and doing their damndest to drown the other.

Large hands shot through water and caught her wrists, Sunni screamed in delight, trying to pull away as he pulled her in close. He was staring again. It made her still, a small laugh bubbling up, nerves making her brain blank as his thumb grazed her jaw, hand slipping along her neck, cupping the back of her head carefully. 

Arthur dipped his head, lips just brushing hers, breath mingling with hers. He asked without a word and she tilted her head up catching his lips with hers.

**

_ “What about your friend?” _

_ “What friend?” _

_ “The lighthouse boy?” her dad asked, the boat dipping and raising with the waves as she sat on the edge. _

_ “We’re not friends, I don’t think we ever were… he’s a jerk.” _

_ He stared at his daughter for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at the lighthouse. There was no movement on shore. “You can use the radio to call?” _

_ She crossed her arms over her chest. Brad had tried, pushing her dress up in his backseat. When he didn’t take no for an answer she took her knee and hit him as hard as she could between his legs. Just like Arthur taught her. _

_ She wouldn’t admit to being wrong, the words she had screamed echoing in her mind, guilt laying heavily in her heart. _

_ “Sunni, stop bein’ stubborn girl, we are goin’ out to sea. You’ll be stuck there for at least eight months and who knows before we ever come back here?” she rolled her eyes. Her dad sighed and shook his head. “Get her goin!” he shouted. _

_ Arthur watched from the water, he watched as she looked over at the lighthouse, dark hair tugged into the wind, as the sun shone high above. He watched as she rushed into the cabin reaching for the radio he knew was there. _

_ She wouldn’t get an answer. _

_ He wasn’t home. _


End file.
